Technical description

APM element wire is a very special sintered alloy that Kanthal makes. It resists grain growth at high temperatures and has a very high hot strength (which keeps the coils from flattening as easily as with Kanthal A1 or equivalent wire). You can get more technical information from the Kanthal web site at www.kanthal.com.

This is from their web site:

Kanthal APM is an advanced powder metallurgical, dispersion strengthened, ferritic iron-chromium-aluminum alloy (FeCrAl alloy) which is used at wire temperatures up to 1425°C (2595°F). Kanthal APM has good hot strength, giving good form stability of the heating elements with less need for element support. It has low tendency to ageing, low resistance change and long element life. Kanthal APM has an excellent surface oxide, which gives good protection in corrosive atmospheres as well as in atmospheres with high carbon potential, and no scaling. The combination of excellent oxidation properties and formstability makes the alloy unique.

Typical applications for Kanthal APM are in furnaces for firing of high temperature ceramics, in high temperature heat treatment furnaces, in high temperature laboratory furnaces, in high temperature furnaces in the electronic industries, and in diffusion furnaces.

These elements are recommended for crystalline glaze applications because the same process that causes crystal growth in glazes also causes grain growth in the standard Kanthal A-1 alloy used in electric ceramic pottery kilns.